Beyond Orlando: Bishop Museum of Science and Nature

As the Gulf Coast’s largest natural history museum, The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature has a lot to offer locals and tourists alike. With two floors of permanent and temporary exhibits, daily presentations, and a planetarium, your family or group is bound to find something to interest everyone.

First Floor Exhibits

The Bishop Museum’s permanent exhibits explore Florida’s natural history from the first recognized fossil records all the way to the present day. Upon entering the building, visitors will encounter a massive Mastadon skeleton. The rest of the first floor exhibits focus on Florida’s natural history, beginning with the initial appearances of animal life and moving into ancient artifacts depicting early human cultures. Each exhibit includes fossils, artifacts, models, and interactive displays so visitors of all ages can engage with the material.

Second Floor Exhibits

The second floor houses three separate exhibits: River Heritage Hall, the Visible Storage Gallery, and Environmental Hall. River Heritage Hall gives a more recent view of human history in Florida – with a maritime focus. Exploring this exhibit, you can find an actual dugout canoe, nautical navigation tools, and other 18th and 19th century artifacts.

The museum’s collection is far more vast than the allowable display space in the building. To make sure guests get to view these valuable artifacts, The Bishop Museum has developed the Visual Storage Gallery. It’s essentially a small area with large glass cases filled with random items and little to no explanation, but I love that the museum has found a way to share these otherwise unseen assets in their collection.

The Environmental Hall has three separate sections: Riverine, Pine Uplands, and Estuary/Gulf Waters. Each section has dioramas and narratives explaining Florida’s various ecosystems.

Manatee Observation Area 

The Bishop Museum includes a 60,000 gallon habitat (with under- and above water viewing) specifically designed for manatee care and rehabilitation. There are currently two manatees receiving medical care and attention with a target release date of winter 2021. In the meantime, these manatees will educate the public at the museum. Manatee caregivers perform daily demonstrations and educational presentations to teach valuable information about these gentle giants. Make sure to catch one of these presentations during your visit!

The Planetarium

The Planetarium at The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature is the home of state-of-the-art astronomy presentations, live views of Earth’s geography, and three dimensional maps of the entire universe. Presentations are scheduled throughout the day and last between 25 and 40 minutes.

Mosaic Backyard Universe

A brand new addition to the museum, this play area acts as every child’s dream backyard. Complete with a treehouse, cardboard rocket, fossil dig pit, and turtle-filled pond, every facet of this area aims to educate children through play and imagination.

If you have a membership to another science center, The Bishop Museum participates in the Association of Science-Technology Travel Passport program. Meaning that if your home and member center are located 90 miles or more from the Museum, you’ll receive free admission to the exhibits. Planetarium shows and the Mosaic Backyard Universe incur additional fees. Make sure to visit ASTC’s website to review any restrictions before visiting. 

Beyond Orlando: Great Explorations Children’s Museum

​Just steps away from Bradenton’s Riverwalk, multiple dining locations, and other entertainment venues, it’s easy to extend your visit to The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature into an entire day spent on the Gulf Coast.